Addicted to Death
by Sinnatious
Summary: Light Yagami was not a superstitious person. That was until he met Kimihiro Watanuki. xXxholicDeath Note crossover. 4 parts.
1. Chapter 1 The Boy On The Train

Disclaimer: I own neither xXxholic or Death Note, nor am I profiting from them. I'm sure either CLAMP or Tsugumi Ohba would use their combined evil powers to track me down if this were the case, and I don't think anyone wants to risk meeting the mind behind Death Note in a dark alley.

Warning: Spoilers! Please don't read if you haven't seen to the end of the first arc or read V7 of the manga. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then assume it is not safe! Also, PG-13.

Author's Note: Just wanted to write an xXxholic and Death Note crossover. There's not really that much of an epic story here, more the tale of a brief encounter. Posted in the xXxholic section seeing as more people in this fandom will have read Death Note rather than vice versa. Probably isn't the first one – these two series seemed to work well together. Either way, I have a stack of plot bunnies that need excising, and writing them seems to be the only way to effectively crush them.

This crossover will be four short parts, about 1,500 words each. I'm not trying to do anything fancy with this. There's no particular plot. Just wanted to write it was all. I hope you enjoy it.

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Addicted to Death**

Chapter One – The Boy on the Train

By Sinnatious

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Light Yagami did not consider himself a superstitious person. His world was ruled by logic, and magic and folk tales were not something he concerned himself with. Fortune tellers, ouija boards and exorcisms were, he felt, things that may have had some unrelated relevance and purpose in ancient times but held no place in modern society other than as vehicles for the manipulating the extremely gullible. Of course, now he spent his days being followed by a Death God, who by his notions of science and logic shouldn't exist. He'd never really had time to consider too deeply whether that meant ghosts or other spirits existed as most of the times he'd questioned Ryuk on such matters the queries had either been met by a shrug or the superstition had been totally debunked, so those thoughts hadn't been followed any further.

That was until the day he met the boy on the train.

He'd been enjoying a position of security since L's demise and was cruising through his final year of university whilst simultaneously playing the parts of Kira and L. The rest of the investigative team had complete faith in him now, and while more people knew of the Death Note than he'd prefer, the situation was safely under control. Already he sensed society changing - crime was at an all-time low and still dropping, and more and more people were coming to see Kira as a God. His plan was years in the making but it was pleasing to see the slow improvements. With the thorn that was L removed from his side, he was rather enjoying himself. So when stepping onto the train to head to the home after classes, he'd been unsettled when he'd felt a pressing stare on the back of his neck.

Light was used to people staring at him from time to time - he knew that his clean-cut appearance was attractive, and his notoriety at his University meant that either jealous or appreciative gazes followed him almost everywhere he went. That sort of scrutiny was standard. This feeling, however, was one he hadn't truly experienced since L's death.

Taking one of the empty seats - he'd finished classes early enough to miss rush hour for once - he made to rifle through his bag as he quietly addressed his invisible companion. "Hey, Ryuk, anyone looking this way?"

"Why should I tell you if there is?" came the belligerent reply.

"Apples."

The shinigami heaved a sigh, and started looking around the compartment. He hadn't been looking for more than a second when the Death God froze. Light glanced over, curious.

"Oh, it's him," Ryuk muttered, staring.

"Him?"

Ryuk didn't reply.

Cautiously, so as not to draw any undue attention to himself, Light followed the Death God's gaze, making sure to make his eyes wander so that he didn't alarm his watcher by zeroing in on their location unnaturally. He was surprised then to meet the blue-eyed gaze of a high school student, who was making absolutely no effort to hide the fact that he was staring at him.

The boy was almost sickly pale, and had sharp blue cat-like eyes that he hid behind thin wire-framed glasses. He was wearing a traditional public school uniform, and was rather well kept, but all in all there didn't seem to be much to set him apart from any other high school student that caught the train. Light racked his brain to try and recall if he'd come across him before, but knew it was fruitless. He had an excellent memory for names and faces - something that had been an enormous help in his work as Kira - and he definitely knew he would remember someone with such pale blue eyes; it was an unusual colour in Tokyo.

That ruled out any agency tailing him. For one, agencies usually chose their field agents so that they didn't stand out from the crowd, and for another a professional would at least make an effort to hide the fact that they were watching the target - even if it was by doing something as simple as reading a newspaper or writing a message on a phone. Was it possibly the friend or family member of one of Kira's victims? Light was aware that though he killed criminals, even criminals sometimes had friends and family that would miss them. Though if such a person had managed to track him down without external resources, they were quite possibly even a bigger threat than what L had been.

Ryuk took a few steps forward towards the boy, and to Light's surprise - or perhaps 'horror' would have been the better word – those pale blue eyes shifted to stare at the Death God instead.

This boy could SEE Ryuk? That shouldn't be possible!

He tensed, waiting for a reaction, but none came. There was a definite air of wariness and caution in the teen's posture, but not the horrified screech, or at the very least some sort of surprised jerk, that was to be expected. Even the unflappable Ryuuzaki had been temporarily struck dumb when he'd touched Rem's Death Note and seen a shinigami for the first time. He himself, even after expecting it, had fallen out his chair when Ryuk first presented himself. Death Gods weren't the most pleasant or friendly-looking creatures, after all. But this high school student didn't seem perturbed in the slightest. He either had nerves of steel or had seen Shinigami before.

Light closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wanted to believe that perhaps it was just a coincidence - that the stranger was looking through Ryuk to some advertisement on the side of the train, but given the way his eyes were flicking back and forth between the two of them there was no doubt that the stranger could see Ryuk and had accurately picked up on the connection between the two of them.

Brown eyes fell on the stranger's book bag, and he was gratified to see neat kanji scrawled on the side. 'Kimihiro Watanuki'. Spelled like April 1st. An unusual name. It was sorely tempting to withdraw one of the pieces of Death Note he kept on himself for emergencies and dispose of the high schooler then and there, but he wanted more information first. How could this kid see Ryuk, for one? Why hadn't he been surprised? Why did he seem less afraid of a shinigami than of a college student? He had to orchestrate an introduction. A great deal of information could be gathered from even a few sentences.

The next station was announced, and the teen tore his eyes away from them as though suddenly remembering where he was. Hurriedly, the blue-eyed youth gathered his things and made his way to the doors. Light very casually stood up as well, making his way to the exit with Ryuk lumbering after him. It was two stops earlier than the intended disembarking point, but there would be another train passing through in fifteen minutes he could hope back on to.

The train pulled up to the station, and the youth stepped through the door, Light having to walk quickly in order to make it out in time. However, the high school student had stopped right outside the door to look back into the train, and Light had to sidestep suddenly to avoid bowling him over.

The real surprise, though, was when the boy named Watanuki recoiled and gagged as they brushed shoulders.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, lacing concern into his voice and placing a hand on the youth's left shoulder.

The teen jerked away as though the hand burned him, breathing growing laboured. Confused, Light withdrew a couple of steps, and was surprised to see the youth recover almost immediately; breathing growing even as he brushed himself off and stood upright. Light reached out again, but Watanuki stepped back just out of arm's length.

"Please, it's nothing personal, but... please don't touch me."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," he responded, growing puzzled. It seemed like his very touch made the youth unbearably sick, but that in itself didn't make any sense.

"I have to go! Excuse me!" the teen blurted, practically tripped over his own feet as he scrambled away, eyes darting back to Ryuk again as he made his escape. The college student didn't follow, shoving his hands casually into his pockets as he watched the other's flight.

"You just going to let him go, Light?" the Death God asked.

"He won't be going far. Let's go, Ryuk." Light made his way to the street, waving down a taxi instead of bothering to wait for the next train as he'd originally planned.

When he arrived home a few minutes later, the apartment was dark. Misa was still out working, apparently. That suited him fine – useful as she was, it was harder to concentrate when she was hanging off his arm complaining about how little she got to see him. Honestly – what did the woman expect? He was juggling his college career with being both Kira and L. At least Misa did the lion's share of the judging these days, freeing him up to concentrate on finishing university and keeping all suspicion away from the two of them. Combing the world of criminals to judge might have been just, but it was terribly time consuming.

Shrugging out of his jacket, Light immediately retrieved the Death Note and sat down at his desk, pen poised to write on the page. That high school student had been able to see Ryuk, which in itself should have been an impossibility. Ryuk's cryptic comments hadn't made him relax, either. Even if the kid hadn't committed a crime, he and Misa couldn't risk being suspected as Kira again. He'd kill him off in an accident so that no one would be likely to link it to Kira. The sooner, the better.

Light paused, though, as the pen met paper. There was something weird about that boy. For one, his name included the kanji for 'four', and as such was associated with 'death'. Even if it was written as April 1st, it was rather rare to find anyone sporting a name containing such an unlucky character.

He laid the pen down again. Kimihiro Watanuki.

"Things might get interesting for a few days again, Ryuk."

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Please review. It is an author's food. 


	2. Chapter 2 Discussing Fate

Warning: Rated T. Also, beware of spoilers.

Author's Note: Here is the second part! I have also gone and fixed up my rather embarrassing mistake with the name orders in the first chapter. That's what I get for mixing translated manga with un-translated anime! It all gets jumbled in the head, especially after 10pm. Somebody slap me on the wrist if I'm caught doing it again. Also, I should point out that I've decided to write all four parts in Light's perspective, even though the prospect of writing a chapter from Watanuki's point of view is an intriguing one. Maybe this means this fic would be better posted in the Death Note category? I'm not sure. Unless people say otherwise, though, I'm going to stick with the unofficial 'Harry Potter crossover rule' which is that the crossover is always posted to the category with the smaller fandom.

Thanks also to all of the people who reviewed! I was surprised that so many people showed interest. That is rad. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

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Addicted to Death **

Chapter Two – Discussing Fate

By Sinnatious

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Two days later Light Yagami could be found standing outside a high school wearing a hooded jacket, observing the students streaming from its gates with a careful eye. When he caught sight of a trio heading for the street, he withdrew a little, waiting until they were halfway down the block before drawing the hood closer around his face and stepping out to follow. A careful glance behind him revealed that Ryuk was floating some distance behind, as planned. Hiding his face was meaningless if Watanuki happened to just glance back and catch sight of the hulking Death God. As it was, Light was staying a paranoid distance away as he trailed the youth. There was a risk of losing sight of his target staying so far back, but it was preferable to lose him going around a corner than to alert him to the fact that he was being followed.

He'd spent what little spare time he'd had over the past two days investigating the strange teen, starting with his school. While sifting through the school's records he'd discovered, much to his surprise given the tidiness of the teen's appearance, that Watanuki was an orphan and that he was indeed born on April 1st. His grades were decent but nothing spectacular, except for the Home Economics elective that he excelled at and sports in which he was slightly above average. Apparently there was some agility hidden underneath that weak-looking exterior. Then again, L had been amazingly proficient at tennis, despite the fact that the now-deceased detective had led a ridiculously unhealthy lifestyle. Appearances could be deceiving.

There had been no other aberrations in the youth's profile, save for a number of reports from guidance counsellors who thought the student a bit strange and were slightly unnerved by his proneness to talk to himself, but they nearly always wrote it off as being related to loneliness after his parents' deaths. Light was mildly troubled that he couldn't find any information on that issue other than the date of their deaths when he searched through the police database, but aside from those minor anomalies, Kimihiro Watanuki was painfully ordinary. Except, of course, for the fact that he could see shinigami.

Which was why Light was now following the teen, hoping to find some clues as to how it might be possible. So far, though, Watanuki had not exhibited any more unusual behaviour. He was walking home with a tall, athletic, serious-looking individual and a short, petite, curly haired girl. They made an odd-looking trio. Even from a distance it was obvious that the blue-eyed youth held a candle for the girl, though his relationship with the other boy was a little more confusing. It was hard to tell whether the occasional fits and spastic outbursts at the other were over exaggerated banter or genuine conflict, though given that the taller boy hardly reacted, he was inclined to believe it the former.

It was easier to follow without being noticed when the three parted ways, and much more interesting as well. The extroverted youth walking home with his friends seemed to deflate into a straight-faced, brooding individual as soon as they were gone. Watanuki also acted a little paranoid - glancing left and right every now and again - but Light didn't get the impression that it was because of him. Was the high schooler perhaps involved in some shady organization after all?

Despite the paranoid activity, the college student-turned-administrator of divine justice was already beginning to wonder if this was an exercise in futility. Kimihiro Watanuki was strange, certainly, but he hadn't yet gained any clues as to how the youth could see Ryuk. Observing the teen for the couple of hours he could spare was realistically not enough time in which to expect anything notable to be revealed, but Light couldn't afford to be missing for too long or the Kira investigation team he was supposed to be leading might get curious about what was eating his time. After the privileges he'd been granted as L, it was hard to go back to such old-fashioned information gathering methods, too. It was necessary, though, to try and discover where exactly Watanuki fit in to the grand scheme of things. Did he have a Death Note of his own? Even if the teen had the eyes, however, it still didn't explain how he could see Ryuk - unless Ryuk had been up to more mischief while back in the Shinigami World.

He was surprised by what greeted him when the youth finally arrived at his destination. Light had to blink a few times to make sure what he was seeing was real. On what he could have sworn had been an empty block of land a second ago sat a traditional-looking house complete with wind chimes and tiled roof, although upon closer inspection it could actually be a shop. Cautiously, he approached the wooden gate - his target had obviously already gone inside by the time he arrived there. Was this a report to the headquarters of some organization out to destroy Kira, a part time job, or merely something as innocuous as visiting an elderly relative? The last one he could probably rule out, given the youth's lack of extended family, but the first possibility was rather disquieting.

For a moment, Light found himself indecisive. It was all too suspicious for him to just leave it alone, even though he had no alibi for entering the place. He could probably make up some sort of plausible story of wanting to use the phone, though, and pass it off as coincidence if Watanuki recognised him. Absently, he turned off his own mobile phone to avoid getting caught out in the lie.

Just as he was about to step past the fence, though, Ryuk's gravelled voice halted him.

"I shouldn't go in there," the Death God announced without preamble.

Light paused at that. "You shouldn't or you can't?" There hadn't ever been anywhere that the Shinigami hadn't followed him before.

The Death God seemed agitated. "What's so important about this? Why can't we go somewhere else?"

Ignoring the complaining Shinigami, Light stepped through the gates, eyes roaming over the premises in an effort to gather as much information as possible. Such a place in Tokyo should be an impossibility - a traditional house, complete with a spacious yard, surrounded on all sides by high-rise buildings? It had to be worth a fortune given the premium for land in even the outer suburbs of Tokyo - developers should have bought out this piece of real estate decades ago. So the people he was dealing with were obviously filthy rich – and wealth tended to equal power. Watanuki was apparently even more of a curiosity than he first thought. It would be prudent to tread lightly, since he didn't really know what he was dealing with. But Light was confident enough to proceed, armed with a piece of Death Note, his wit, and his aliases.

As soon as he had entered the yard, what sounded like a muffled voice came from the side of the house. "Hello?" he asked, politely heading to the side of the yard sporting a well.

"Oh, we have a customer?" a whimsical female voice floated from within. A moment later, an old-fashioned shoji slid aside to reveal a tall, thin woman dressed in an ornate kimono that was showing far too much leg and shoulder to be considered appropriate. She moved in a languid and graceful manner, oozing a confidence and sexuality that would make almost any man stammer and blush in her presence.

Light Yagami was not just any man. He met her gaze squarely, unperturbed. He'd not yet met a woman he couldn't manipulate to his will. Making sure to turn on the charm, he greeted her with the slightest of bows and the subtlest of smiles. "Sorry to intrude. Ryuuga Hideki, pleased to meet you." It was poetic justice, he felt, that he now used one of L's aliases.

To his slight surprise, though he didn't show it, the woman's face went still and her eyes turned cold. "I know who you are. But you have no need to be in my shop."

"No need? What is it that you sell? And might I have your name?" It was unspeakably rude not to give your name after someone had given theirs, but the criminal genius reigned in his irritation. It wasn't hard after all the practice L had given him with his array of bad habits, after all.

"Yuuko Ichihara. Don't bother writing it down - it's an alias. Only a fool would freely give out their full name these days, right 'Ryuuga'?" She smiled at that, a sickly sweet smile that made Light unquestionably paranoid.

He'd come to gather information, to determine whether or not these people were a threat, but suddenly he was beginning to feel out of his depth.

Ryuk reluctantly followed him into the yard at last, and to Light's discomfort and alarm, the woman noticed him almost immediately. "Oh, my, isn't this a surprise. Though it's to be expected. You're certainly a naughty one, though I've not yet met one who isn't. Does the King know you're here?"

Ryuk was looking uncomfortable - Light half-expected the shinigami to start sweating. It was hard to decide which was more unsettling - the fact that this woman could see Ryuk and was even less perturbed by his presence than what the boy named Watanuki had been, or that she could actually make the shinigami uncomfortable. This woman was a threat that needed to be eliminated. He had to discover her true name.

"Oh, don't be like that. Unlike 'Ryuuga' here, you can't help what you are. Watanuki! Bring some apples for our guest!" She even knew about the apples?

"Come on in, then," the woman who had introduced herself as Yuuko continued airily. "I know you're going to, whether you're invited or not."

This Yuuko was mildly infuriating, but Light followed her anyway, even though it was hard to shake the sensation that he was willingly entering the lion's den.

They sat down at a table, the high school youth he'd been following emerging after a moment carrying a tray with tea and apples on it, wearing an apron over his school uniform. It was part-time work after all, apparently. Watanuki visibly started when he caught sight of them, though his expression was schooled back into bored indifference almost immediately.

"You've met, I see?" Yuuko drawled.

"Briefly, on the train two days ago. That was the only time." Watanuki set out the tea politely, jerking his hand away hastily when Light reached for his cup. Curious. The teen offered an apple to the Death God hovering somewhat anxiously by the door, who accepted it with more reverence than what the shinigami ever showed his usual host. Ryuk's lidless gaze followed the youth for a long moment before he ate the apple in three gulps.

"You were followed," Yuuko intoned pleasantly, sounding rather like she was discussing a pair of new shoes rather than berating her worker. "Didn't you suspect?"

"I'm always being followed by something or another. How was I supposed to know it was him?" The blue-eyed youth replied resentfully. More useful morsels of information.

"Hm. Well, you've only created trouble for yourself." The woman leaned forward, pipe in hand. It was very strange to see anyone using such old fashioned pipes these days, but the smoke from it didn't smell like any known narcotic; not even opium like one would expect in a place like this. Light almost would have preferred if it was. People with drug dependencies were pathetically easy to manipulate. "You're a very interesting person, 'Ryuuga', I'll give you that. Most people would have collapsed under that weight by now. You don't even seem to notice. I guess it doesn't work so well on the clear-headed after all."

"What weight?" It wasn't as though Light wasn't used to talking in riddles with Misa and L all the time, but typically those were riddles he knew the answers to.

"If you don't know, then it's better that I don't tell you. Unless you're here for a wish, I'm not going to interfere."

"A wish?"

She leant back again, crossing her legs and extending an arm as she did so. Most anyone else would have looked like a drama queen, posing in such a fashion, but Yuuko managed to make it look perfectly natural.

"My shop grants wishes. For a price, of course." Her lazy grin was like that of a cat that had caught the canary and framed the dog. "Would you like for me to grant your wish?"

"Any wish?"

"Whatever is your heart's desire. Though I should point out that the cost for, say, killing someone or bringing someone back to life is higher than what any mortal would be able to pay."

"I see. In that case, I rather expect that I am unable to pay your prices." Light had abandoned any attempts at playing nice or being charming. Clearly it was a waste here. "That's just a hunch, of course." If the deal for the eyes cost half of your lifespan with a shinigami, he was completely uninterested in asking about it with this woman, who seemed more like a loan shark than a wish-granting fairy godmother. Besides, this was clearly some sort of occult shop if the décor and trinkets lying around were any indication. Even if it seemed to have more validity than most - given that neither of the occupants seemed at all intimidated by Ryuk - the notion that they could grant any wish at all struck him as absurd.

Then again, it was only a couple of years ago that the notion of Shinigami struck him as absurd too. And Ryuk's lack of mocking laughter so far seemed to indicate that there was at least some truth in these outlandish claims.

"Hmm, I suppose that would be the case. Such a shame."

Light could feel that was his cue to leave, but he was far from finished yet. These people were more possibly more dangerous than he first supposed, and before he could take any action to eliminate this threat, he needed information. Primarily whether they had told anyone else about his identity, and whether they had any ties to any particular group.

He glanced over at the apron-clad youth, who was hovering by the door listening in. Realizing that he'd been noticed, the teen hurried back inside to the kitchen. "And I take it that your employee is here working off a wish, then? What did Watanuki wish for?" Light put a special emphasis on 'Watanuki', letting the woman know that he knew her precious employee's name. If she knew about Shinigami, then she was sure to recognise the significance.

"You're referring to Kimihiro Watanuki, spelled like April 1st?" she mimicked, a cat-like smile spreading across her lips. "I do keep telling him to be more careful with his name, but it's early yet."

Light wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but it didn't seem important. What was important was that she'd responded to his veiled threat with such a cavalier attitude. Either she didn't care at all about her employee's life, or there was something she knew that he didn't.

Crossing his arms and leaning back, the college student repeated, "So, what was his wish?"

"That's confidential, I'm afraid. I'm sure you understand, what with your line of work and all."

He raised a single brown eyebrow at that, feigning nonchalance. "My line of work? You've overestimated my age, I'm afraid. I'm still only a college student."

"Of course you are."

This was going nowhere, and he was starting to lose his temper over how difficult the woman was insisting on being - not to mention that having some stranger he'd just met speak as though she was so certain of his secret identity was more than just a little unsettling. Leaning back in and narrowing his eyes, Light hissed, "What is this place? How is any of this possible?"

"How is it possible that people all over the world die before their time every day?" she retorted mildly.

Light stood abruptly. "I don't need to listen to this. If I cannot acquire answers from you, I'll simply acquire them from your worker."

"Very well then."

"You're not going to try to stop me?" he asked dubiously. Even if the woman didn't seem to care in the slightest that Watanuki could be killed any time, their brief exchange indicated some sort of bizarre relationship that surely was worth something.

"I don't need to," she replied serenely. "Your fate has already been decided. It is inevitable."

"I don't believe in fate." Not her kind of fate, anyway.

"Really? Can you be so sure that your encounter with Watanuki on the train was not fate? That this meeting is not fate?"

"The train was a coincidence. This meeting is merely a result of that coincidence." Light hadn't particularly wanted to take the bait, but the smug look on the woman's face gave him the intense desire to crush her completely. It had been a long time since anybody had dared look down on or underestimate him, and it chafed more than expected.

"If you think so. Either way, how you choose to accept your fate is what defines you in the end. And this will teach Watanuki a valuable lesson."

"What lesson is that?"

Her grin was decidedly wicked. "To take greater care of his name, for one." She stood up in a rustle of expensive fabric and leaned forward, drawing uncomfortably close, but Light resisted the urge to back away, a distant part of his mind considering that had she been there, Misa would have likely tried to slap the woman by now for daring to get so close to her beloved. "And secondly, that some of the worst creatures in the world aren't spirits, but humans."

If there was any doubt left in his mind that Yuuko Ichihara knew exactly who he was, it vanished then.

"You're awfully cruel to your employee. I could kill him, you know."

"Maybe. But he has a destiny of his own. You'll play your part it in, however unpleasant it may be."

This entire meeting had been a complete waste of time. If anything, he would have been better off if he'd never come. "Come on, Ryuk, we're not staying."

"Bye bye, Shinigami! Say hello to the King for me!" She transformed back into a carefree, slightly tipsy woman in the space of a second, flapping a hand cheerily at them as they walked down the cobblestone path back to the fence. Ryuk shuddered, following the Death Note user closely as they made their way to the exit. Watanuki was sweeping leaves near the gate, but he stopped and backed away as they approached, blue gaze silently following the disgruntled pair as they left the strange property.

Light refused to be played like that. It was humiliating. He would show Yuuko Ichihara exactly what it meant to deal so flippantly with Kira.

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Please review. 


	3. Chapter 3Circumventing Divine Protection

Warning: Rated PG-13. Also, beware of spoilers.

Author's Note: Part the third. Written in, what, two hours? Not a whole lot to this chapter, but I hope you enjoy regardless. Thanks again to all of those awesome reviewers who are all apparently expecting way more out of this fic than what a paltry four chapters can deliver. ;) I feel honoured?

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**Addicted to Death**

Chapter Three – Circumventing Divine Protection

By Sinnatious

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That evening, Light sat at his desk, pen once again poised to write in the Death Note. Make a fool of him? Even if Yuuko Ichihara was just an alias, there was one name he knew for sure.

Before he'd even managed to get halfway through the first character, though, Ryuk piped up suddenly behind him – the second time that day. "Don't."

"What?"

"You shouldn't write his name in the Death Note. He's special," Ryuk said simply.

"Special? How?" Light asked sharply.

The Death God shrugged. "You couldn't understand. It'd be troublesome, anyway. I hear he's got a pipe fox, and there's a Zashiki Warashi that's really attached to him too. Not to mention, the contract he has with that woman is stronger than the powers of the Death Note."

"So if I write his name down, it will do nothing?"

"I didn't say that. He's mortal, after all. But the Death Note isn't all powerful. People like that are either left alone or dealt with by the King himself, or things have ways of getting complicated. Curses. Ghosts. That sort of thing. Always unpredictable. And someone like that – things would just go crazy."

Light grunted, annoyed, tapping a finger on the desk as he thought. It wasn't the first time he'd heard of this 'King' of Shinigami, but it had been almost impossible to extract any information about him from either Ryuk or Rem. Come to think of it, that woman had mentioned a 'King' too. Had she also been referring to the King of Shinigami?

If that was the case, the issue was potentially even bigger than he'd first considered. She obviously had intimate knowledge of Death Gods. That was troublesome.

Still, now that he'd had some time to cool his head, Light was able to consider the encounter that afternoon more rationally. Even if he didn't really believe in those superstitions and folk talks, admittedly killing Watanuki without killing his boss as well was dangerous anyway. Even though Yuuko Ichihara had dared make a fool out of him, she was in the end just a mysterious and eccentric woman. It would be foolish to get carried away by anger. When emotionally charged, people made mistakes, and Kira couldn't afford to make mistakes.

He considered his options carefully. Most of his evening had been spent searching for information and discovering that finding out the true name of Yuuko Ichihara really was impossible by any conventional means – in fact, there was a complete vacuum where information should have been regarding all things associated with the woman. Even researching the property of her shop had led him to conclude that as far as the rest of the world was concerned, that nugget of valuable land just didn't exist. He truly was dealing with something supernatural.

Could he corner Watanuki and ask him? It didn't seem likely that the teen would cooperate, though, and given Yuuko's comments he might not know her true name either. She was a terribly cautious woman, and wouldn't have been so nonchalant about his threat to extract information from her employee if the high schooler had any information to give.

His hand clenched, and when he realised what he was doing, Light forced himself to relax once again. What was he getting so worked up for? The solution was obvious - introduce Misa to Yuuko. Misa had the eyes - she'd be able to see Yuuko's true name. There was risk, of course, in revealing Misa's identity like that. After all, the strange owner of that esoteric shop had pegged him as Kira even before Ryuk had lumbered into view, so there was a high chance that she'd figure out Misa's identity as the second Kira the same way. He didn't really want to give the strange woman even more information by revealing Misa to her, but then again, once Misa had the name it didn't matter. Kimihiro Watanuki and Yuuko Ichihara would be as good as dead. Presumably if he killed Yuuko first, there shouldn't be any of those purported complications Ryuk spoke of.

In almost perfect timing, the doorknob rattled and a moment later Misa Amane whirled into the apartment in a flurry of shopping bags. "Light! Are you home?" she called out in a sing-song voice.

"In here, Misa," he called from his vantage point at his desk. It was a good place to work because it allowed him a clear view of the front door whilst simultaneously hiding what he was doing. Taking precautions never hurt anyone.

There was a whiff of perfume preceding the blonde actress practically dancing into the room and draping her arms over her boyfriend's shoulders. "Liiiiight," she crooned, "How was your day?" Only Misa could make the most ordinary question in the universe sound like it was laden with innuendo.

"Interesting. I was wondering if you would be free to come meet someone with me tomorrow," the college student replied, unaffected by the attempt at flirting.

"Hmmm." Out of the corner of his eye, he could spy Misa sticking out her bottom lip in thought. "Meet someone? You haven't made any new friends, have you?"

"Not friends, no."

The blonde's mouth formed into an 'o', and Light knew she had understood that he wanted her to come and make use of the eyes. For all of her air-headedness at times, his girlfriend was cunning. At times Light found himself wondering if she put on airs of stupidity so that people would just underestimate her, or whether it was simply a by-product of her abandoning higher education to pursue an acting and modelling career, leaving her mind plenty sharp but her pool of general knowledge shallow.

"Certainly! Misa has the day off tomorrow, and is happy she can be so useful! Besides, it's the best excuse to spend the day with Light!" she nuzzled his neck for a moment before withdrawing and flouncing off to the kitchen, no doubt to rifle through the many purchases she'd dragged in with her. The college student resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her persistent habit of using third person even at home. It was one thing if you had a character to maintain for your job, but his girlfriend carried it everywhere.

Confident that the problem was in hand, Light put the issue of Yuuko Ichihara and Kimihiro Watanuki out of his mind for the evening, and focused instead of studying for upcoming exams.

The next day he and Misa left the house and boarded the train, looking nothing more than like a couple out for a leisurely stroll. The actress happily bended his ear over any number of inane matters, mostly complaining about work and occasionally talking about something she'd seen on Sakura TV as they wove through the streets. Light was almost relieved when he spied the familiar skyscrapers.

"We're here," he announced as they approached the fence.

Misa looked around confused, arm still looping in his. "Where?"

"Right..." Light trailed off, confused by the sight of the empty lot before him.

Ryuk's guttural laugh echoed eerily behind them.

The house was gone, as were the trees and cobblestone path. Stepping back, the college student checked the address and surroundings. It was definitely the right place... so where had the shop gone? It was ridiculous. No one could just remove all traces of a house in twenty-four hours - and the ground looked as though it had been undisturbed for years.

"Ryuk," Light began evenly. "What's going on?"

"Not just anyone can go in there, you know," came the cryptic reply. "Not unless you have a wish. I'm surprised you found it yesterday. It was probably only because you own a Death Note, and were following HIM."

'Him' was obviously Watanuki. "So we have to follow him again?"

"Won't work twice. No tricks on this place ever will. She would have fixed it by now. Can't have people entering with ill intentions instead of wishes, after all." Ryuk chortled again. Bastard Shinigami had probably known this would happen from the start.

"What if Misa or I were to wish for something?" Such as Yuuko's true name, for instance.

"Ha! You wouldn't use wishes to get what you want, Light. You'd take it for yourself. She'd know that as soon as she met you. Misa's the same."

Was the Death God suggesting that there was some sort of magic hiding the house from sight? Something that could tell if he had a genuine wish or not? Something that could sense if he meant harm to the occupants? That was ludicrous!

Light was starting to think that maybe there were a few more supernatural things in the world than he first assumed. It was an unsettling thought. Either that, or he was going crazy. It was hard to decide which of the two options was preferable.

"Light?" Misa asked, obviously growing curious about his prolonged silence.

"Forget it, Misa, let's head home."

"Already?" the actress pouted, glancing in puzzlement at the empty lot a few times before having to double-step in order to keep up with her beloved Kira.

"Yeah, I remembered some things that I have to do at home. You can go shopping if you don't want to come."

"No, Misa will come," she promised, half skipping next him. "Even if Light is working, Misa is just happy to be near."

The depths of the girl's sentimentality never ceased to amaze him. Still, the whole situation was incredibly irritating. If Ryuk was to be believed, he now wouldn't be able to introduce Misa to Yuuko, leaving him exactly where he had been the day before - with two people who knew that he was Kira, and no way to kill them.

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Please review. 


	4. Chapter 4 Logic Versus Superstition

Warning: Rated PG-13. Most of the rating for this chapter. Also, beware of spoilers.

Author's Note: Fourth and final chapter. That was fun to write, but I'm not particularly happy with how the whole thing came out. This probably qualifies more as notebook scribbles than an actual story, and serves as a bit of a break for me.

Thanks to all of the people who reviewed, it was really flattering how much people came to expect of this brief little interlude. I'm only sorry it's so short – could have made it longer, but that would turn it into a twenty-chapter epic that would almost certainly start breaking the canon, and as far as I'm concerned the canon for both Holic and Death Note are near perfect so I am reluctant to mess with them as I would normally. Are there other xXxholic fics on the horizon? Maybe, but next up is a Hikaru no Go fic, so we'll have to see after that. More people should totally write xXxholic and Death Note crossovers, though. That would be rad. Go forth and do so!

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**Addicted to Death**

Chapter Four – Logic Versus Superstition

By Sinnatious

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Light stayed up past midnight that night, considering his next move long after Misa had retired to bed.

Once he'd managed to cool his temper yet again and remove the personal slight from the equation, it was becoming sort of tempting to leave the matter be. While this Yuuko character hadn't seemed terribly fond of him, she also hadn't seemed particularly interested in revealing to the world that he was Kira, or getting involved at all for that matter. People who had so much faith in fate tended to stay on the sidelines, after all, which was fortunate in this case. He didn't doubt that both she and Watanuki knew his true identity, even if they didn't say it outright. Watanuki's reactions to him and the woman's thinly veiled comments left no question. Fortunately, the high schooler didn't seem terribly inclined to tangle himself in the matter either, though Light expected that was purely a self-preservatory action at this point in time. When he stepped up his campaign next, that could change.

There was the issue of Yuuko's shop to take into account, as well. Even if Yuuko herself didn't care to entangle herself in his affairs, a shop that could grant wishes - any wish, if it was to believed - could eventually attract a customer that wanted to destroy Kira, and was willing to pay any price to do it. While Light didn't get the impression that he could be killed by someone's wish, it wasn't so hard to imagine that the price to have the Death Notes taken away, or to have his identity exposed, would be something a desperate individual would be able and willing to pay. It was dangerous to ignore the shop and hope that such a thing never came to pass. He'd already seen how far L had been willing to go to defeat Kira - there were bound to be others out there just as dedicated, even if they were not as effective.

This could very easily give him a headache. His only solace was the fact that Watanuki appeared to be relatively predictable and easy to control - he didn't seem particularly stupid, but he likely didn't possess the sort of intelligence or insight that made him an even slightly threatening opponent.

Since killing Yuuko with the Death Note was currently impossible - and he didn't like the odds of successfully doing it in person, either – that meant he needed leverage to prevent her taking action against him. Insurance, really. That was where Watanuki became the key.

Turning the matter over in his head one last time, Light finally felt satisfied that he'd considered all of the possible options. In the end, the solution chosen was far from elegant and more risky than what he felt comfortable with, but then again, it wasn't L he was dealing with and no one knew he'd had any contact with these people. They obviously weren't connected with any organization, either, otherwise he would have come across something in his searches – no one could cover their tracks so thoroughly, not even someone as apparently paranoid as Yuuko Ichihara.

He'd act tomorrow. There was no point delaying the issue – best to resolve it swiftly, before Yuuko or Watanuki started getting ideas.

Thus the next day, after classes had finished at university and the sun was starting to set, Light set out on his mission. It had been child's play to discover where Watanuki lived. It had been even easier to plan his move, knowing that the youth lived alone. An almost cursory investigation into his life had revealed everything he needed to know. It was surprising that a conniving woman like Yuuko Ichihara kept such a potential liability around, but then again, if the youth could see his shinigami there was obviously more to him than met the eye.

The apartment block was small and run-down, but neat and well cared for. Even if there were cracks in the plaster and rust on the door numbers, there was none of the dirt or grime typically found in such accommodations. Light approved – nothing was more disgusting than watching people wallow in their own filth and misery, too lazy to bother improving themselves when they were dealt a poor hand. One day, even such deadweight wouldn't have a place in Kira's world.

Knuckles rapped smartly against the door. There was a brief silence, then the quiet padding of slippered feet.

Watanuki seemed surprised when he'd opened his door to find Light Yagami standing there, with Ryuk no doubt an imposing figure filling the doorway behind him. The youth should have expected that he'd turn up again, though. Had Yuuko really not warned him at all? At the very least, the high schooler had to suspect that there was no way Kira would let anyone who knew his true identity walk so easily.

"Watanuki Kimihiro. It's a pleasure to meet you again." He took a few steps into the apartment without being invited, but the youth had to move back anyway to avoid touching him.

"What are you doing here?" the blue-eyed teen asked. He was nervous. Good. He knew he was up against someone more powerful than himself. Friends in high places could only help to a point, and this confrontation would be a lot more difficult if he had to first convince Watanuki of his utter vulnerability.

"I'm sure you can guess," he replied, closing the door behind him so that they wouldn't be disturbed. It wouldn't do to have anyone accidentally overhear their conversation, after all. As it was he was taking a well-calculated risk - the sort Kira wouldn't have been able to afford in L's time.

"Are you going to kill me?" The question was asked in a surprisingly steady voice. Light appraised the youth in front of him, standing rigidly straight as though squaring himself for his imagined fate. He wondered if Watanuki's life had become so governed by forces beyond his control that he'd come to merely accept what he thought was inevitable. The kid got some extra points for sheer guts. Having seen many people to their deaths, Kira could confidently say that few could show such courage at the prospect.

"I could... but then I wouldn't have anything with which to bargain," Light replied, before reaching out faster than what the younger boy could react and grabbing his shoulder. As expected, Watanuki spasmed, one hand covering his mouth and the other trying to push his arm away. Light intercepted it, fingers encircling the wrist and causing the teen to jerk again.

"Don't touch..."

"Don't touch you?" Light asked, pulling the gagging teen closer. Watanuki slumped to his knees, cheeks flushing, but Light simply crouched with him. "It hurts you, doesn't it? The touch of Kira?"

"Please... stop."

"I'll stop. If you promise me one thing - that you never divulge even the slightest clue as to Kira's identity to anyone, under any circumstances. And that you don't allow your boss to, either."

"I can't control what Yuuko- Ah!"

Light effortlessly pushed the teen to the ground and straddled his hips in one fluid movement, actually eliciting a small cry of pain from the extra contact. "I'm afraid you'll have to find a way."

Watanuki actually managed to gain his composure enough to glare at him, though he spoke through clenched teeth. "Why should I help you?"

Light smirked, and spread the palm of his left hand against the high schooler's chest, leaning in closer. The kid had a surprising amount of fight, but that was okay. He'd been prepared for this possibility. "Because if you don't, you won't be the only one who suffers." He leaned down further so that his chest was pressed flush against the younger boy's. The position was uncomfortable, but obviously not nearly as bad as what it was for Watanuki, whose breathing had been reduced to choked gasps by now as he squirmed and thrashed uselessly from where he was pinned, face contorting in pain.

He leaned in, whispering in the high school student's ear, "Don't worry - I don't intend to kill you to keep my secrets. But it would be a shame if anything were to happen to that lovely Himawari Kunogi, wouldn't it? Or a good citizen like Shizuka Domeki. Or even those nice people that are lending you this apartment. It wouldn't be right at all that they should die for a crime they didn't commit."

Tears were leaking out of the corners of Watanuki's eyes by now. "Leave... them... out of it..." he gasped.

"I have no intention of bringing them into it, Watanuki. That's entirely up to you. But if I'm ever compromised, you can be sure I'll have more than enough time to punish whoever defied me. And both theirs and your deaths will be far more painful than this. And far more painful than any heart attack."

Behind his glasses, Watanuki's blue eyes were turning glassy. Light pulled back before the youth could pass out from the pain, letting his fingers ghost across the teen's cheek as he withdrew, causing one last spasm before standing and brushing himself off. Smirking, he made to let himself out, the high schooler still laying spread-eagled on the floor, chest heaving as he tried to get his breath back. What a curious affliction. Light would have liked to know more about it, but it would undoubtedly involve more of Yuuko Ichihara's esoteric babble. Still, it had served its purpose – Watanuki knew without a doubt that he wasn't bluffing, and that he meant business. He'd learned all about the various techniques that yakuza and other organised criminals used to hush people up in his criminal psychology electives. Of course, those classes were supposed to be used to identify when those techniques were at work in keeping a witness silent, rather than being practically applied.

As he walked towards the door, though, a faint voice called out behind him. "Isn't it heavy?"

"Excuse me?" Light half-turned, mildly disconcerted by the way the teen seemed to be staring just above his head, rather than at his face. That was rectified a moment later when the pale blue gaze from the floor matched his.

"Your bad habit. It's out of control. It looks like it's been out of control for ages. I thought you came to Yuuko's to get rid of it. It must be so heavy." Watanuki coughed after that, arms shaking as he tried to push himself up, only managing to get up onto his elbows.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any bad habits."

The youth smiled weakly at that. "You have the worst habit of all."

Strange that this child would consider Kira's work a 'habit'. Hanging around that incense-filled shop with that strange woman had probably messed up whatever sanity the poor orphan had remaining. "Are you looking to try and help me?" His words were dripping with sarcasm. Kira needed no help. Kira would soon be all-powerful.

Dropping back to the floor, the youth replied, "I suppose you're past help, now." Watanuki laughed weakly. "Yuuko once told me that killing someone was the very worst thing you could do, and there was nothing you could ever do to redeem yourself. The consequences for taking a life were so dire, she said, that they could not be avoided. The most you can do it delay it."

"I don't believe in karma, or any of that new age fiction," Light replied, though his words rang hollow to his ears. He already knew that only uncertainty lay in store for him after his death, but that was something he'd pledged only to worry about when the time came. Before that, he was planning to have a long reign over his utopian society.

"In my experience, it doesn't matter if you believe it or not. You will be stopped."

There was an odd sort of confidence to the boy's voice. Light raised a sceptical eyebrow and took a threatening step forward. "Are you planning to take me on?" Maybe the kid hadn't quite had all the fight beaten out of him yet after all.

Watanuki shook his head vigorously, making to scoot away slightly. Light smirked, but that smile vanished when the teen continued, "No, I'm not that stupid. But I wonder…" The teen's eyes wandered to Ryuk, who hadn't left his position by the doorway, and lingered there speculatively. For one creepy moment, the college student thought he could see some of Yuuko's all-knowing gaze in those typically clueless blue eyes.

It was gone an instant later, and Light figured that he'd just imagined it – after all, anybody could talk a little strangely and come off as an acceptable imitation of that bizarre woman. It was a waste of time to continue the conversation. His point had been made.

Light straightened his jacket and paused before opening the door, quietly reminding the teen, "Remember – if either you or your boss seek to speak of or involve yourselves in any way in my affairs, your life, and the lives of your friends, are forfeit. I'm only being generous now because it really would be a shame to kill those who haven't done anything to deserve it. Don't make me regret showing you this small mercy." Watanuki likely didn't know about his own apparent 'divine protection', and probably didn't realise that he couldn't kill Yuuko Ichihara using her alias, either, though if he did ever realise, the threat to his friends should be more than enough to keep him quiet.

Silently, Light Yagami left the apartment, closing the door softly behind him and heading back out onto the street, keeping an eye out for any witnesses. None – no one would ever know he'd been there. He could relax now, safe in the knowledge that the strange boy he'd met on the train wouldn't dare speak of him again, and neither would he allow his boss to. Yuuko would acquiesce, he was sure – for all of her cavalier attitude, the look in her eyes suggested that she cared a great deal about her employee – even if not personally, it was apparent she had something invested in the teen, especially with all of her talk about 'lessons'. The more paranoid part of him suspected that she'd already anticipated he'd take Watanuki and his friends' lives' hostage, but that didn't make his threat against them any less real.

There was no point giving the matter any more thought. The chance of the two of them turning up again and interfering with his affairs was extremely small. Following up on the matter any more than what he already had was the bigger danger – drawing others' attention to the mysterious shop through his interest was potentially more ruinous than allowing it to fade into obscurity. It was all mathematics – weighing potential risk against potential cost. Logic. Logic was what Light felt most comfortable dealing with. There was a small risk in letting them live, but there was a larger risk in trying to kill them. That's all there was to it. There was no 'fate' involved.

"You're pretty scary, Light," Ryuk said, looking back at the apartment as they walked away. He seemed cheerful, but then again with his clownish face and lidless eyes Ryuk nearly always seemed cheerful. "I think you actually enjoyed that."

"You think I enjoy torturing people? An upstanding citizen like myself?" Light asked, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt and smoothing his hair.

"Yeah. I think you really do."

The college senior smirked at that. "You may be right, Ryuk. I guess I've changed after using the Death Note so much. No - it's inevitable that I changed. But it's necessary, if I'm to become the god of the new world."

Light wasn't a superstitious person at all. There were no such things as 'inevitabilities', merely fortunate or unfortunate coincidences. Perhaps some time ago, he might have held some belief in 'god's favour' or 'fate', but he'd since killed a Shinigami. Nothing was invincible before him now. Not even God.

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The end…. Or is it?

No, just kidding, it really is the end. I hope you enjoyed this little encounter.


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